


But I thought Steve had it.

by BlackIris



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Catching Up, F/M, Fluff, Music, educational music, flustered Bucky is adorable, small mystery, small obsession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 14:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7621846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackIris/pseuds/BlackIris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Darcy lent her beloved iPod to Steve with some pre-made play lists for him to work his way through.. and someone else ends up with her “Sweet Baby Jute” and finds more than just her music taste buried in her play lists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But I thought Steve had it.

**Author's Note:**

> Look I'm back! (Not dead!) I had this in the works at the end of 2014 ish? It's clearly been awhile, but it's been burning in my brain and demanding to be let out. 
> 
> All mistakes are my own, please enjoy!

“Huh. Never thought I’d see you with one of those things.” Bucky said, riffling through the fridge for something to devour. 

“Hmm?” Steve said, pulling the head phones off his head. “It’s not mine if that makes it any easier for you.”

“Really. Who would trust you with their own electronics?” Bucky’s curiosity rose. “Please tell me it was Stark. If so, I’m deleting everything on it before you give it back.” He chuckled lowly as he put a casserole dish in the oven. 

“You know I wouldn't let you do that. And no. Stark and I are better now, but I don’t think he’ll ever trust me with his ‘toys’. It’s Darcy’s. She put a few play lists on here for me to catch up on the music I've missed over the years and to find some new favorites.” He said, holding up the sleek simple black iPod as evidence. If it was Tony’s it would have been much more stylish and showy. 

“So what does the buxom brunette have on there then?”

“She has them by decade and she told me to listen to them in order, so that it will ‘make the most sense’ to me. I think she means well. She’s nicer about it than any of the others. Makes it seem like I just hated music for a while instead of being frozen.”

“Hmm. You sweet on her or something, punk?” Bucky questioned, raising an eyebrow at Steve’s fiddling with the cords of the head phones.

“No. I’m not..I ..No.” A shadow fell over Steve’s face, telling Bucky exactly what he couldn't say; that part of him was still hung up on Peggy. 

“Steve, relax. It’s just music.” 

“You want to look it over? I think I’m done for the day.” He left the iPod on the kitchen table and walked to his room.

“You don’t think she’d mind?” Bucky called after him.

“No. I don’t.” Steve yelled back. “Besides. It’s just music.”

\-------

Bucky stared down the iPod for a moment or so. Or at least longer than he cared to admit. Steve had been gone and wouldn't be home for another three days on account of a mission; which is why he left the iPod in its current location on the coffee table. Slowly, he picked it up and started flicking through the play lists specifically set up for Steve and his music ‘needs.’ They were titled in an obvious way that even Steve would know they were meant for him:

“Steeeeve! 50’s Jazz”  
“Steeeeve! 60’s Pop”  
“Steeeeve! 70’s Rock”  
“Steeeeve! 80’s Glam”  
“Steeeeve! 90’s Grunge and Pop”  
“Steeeeve! Most Modern Hits and Misses; You’re almost there”

He started listening to the 50’s Jazz that day and immediately fell in love with the sound. It was an easy transition from what he remembered listening to back in the 40’s, before the war, before his fall. The rest of the evening was spent with that play list on repeat. 

\-------

Throughout Steve’s absence, Bucky burned through the remaining play lists. The more he heard, the more he craved to explore. She had managed to select the most enticing music in each decade; the good, the bad, the iconic, and the lesser known novelties. He was infatuated with what he heard, so naturally, he deviated from the specifically Steve made play lists to all play lists; anything was now game in his hunger. He found the play list for when she was sad, when she needed motivation, when she was tired, when she was stressed, when she was working out, and one that downright confused him at first. It had older songs from Jo Stafford and Ella Fitzgerald to more modern hits like Guns N Roses, Goo Goo Dolls, and Kito Reija Lee. The play list title: “Y.L.S.” He found that he loved almost every song in its inventory. Each one stirring an emotion he long thought dead. Emotions of love, love loss, hope, and even.. glee? How had this selection of music moved him in such a ground shaking, mind blowing way? It was just music. Mood altering, emotion, and thought provoking music, thrown together by a friend that he always wished to be closer to.

Although he adored this play list above the others, Darcy’s use of abbreviations drove him mad. It was the only play list to feature abbreviations. He took it as his mission to figure it out.

“Y. L. S… Y. L. S…” He muttered the title to himself trying to discern its meaning without asking Darcy flat out what it meant. After all, she had leant it to Steve for "educational purposes"; there was no reason for him to know about the play list or its cryptic title. 

“Yale Law School? No, that doesn't make any sense. Youth Leadership S… No. Your Loud.. Your Little Sister? What? She doesn't have a sister. Yankee Likes.. No. Your Life Study? Hmm.. Your Level of Service? Ugg.”

His guesses weren't making any sense. Bucky had seen a lot, so random words bunched together usually meant something specific. That he knew. Just what the meaning of it all was alluded him. He would have to ask Steve, tactically, tomorrow, when he got back.

\-------

Half way through a quiet lunch with Steve, Bucky’s curiosity got the better of him.

“Now that your back, has Darcy been bugging you about getting her Ipod back? It’s been a few weeks.”

“Surprisingly, no.” Steve said around a mouth full of sandwich. “Did it help you at all? In catching up on music?”

“It did, I was pleasantly surprised. She’s got good taste in music. Did you look at any of her other play lists?” Bucky asked, trying to be subtle.

“Not really, didn’t have time.” 

Bucky mumbled a response before continuing to focus on his food while his mind raced.

Steve didn’t know. Great. But how could he? He’s too polite to rummage through anyone’s things unless he feels something is wrong. And there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with Darcy or her mysteriously named play list, that one would only find by snooping in the first place. The only thing that was of concern was the worry of curiosity that bit away at Bucky’s mind whenever he had a quiet moment. 

\-------

A week later and still no word from Darcy other than to know if Steve was enjoying his musical revival. Bucky had taken, more often than not, to conveniently and casually being in the same room as Darcy whenever possible. His goal, observation and possible discernment of the now internally infamous “Y.L.S.” 

Today, Darcy’s sitting and eating with Jane. Coffee, pop tarts, the usual. However, this time they aren’t talking. The two usually chatter away driving others to laughter with their quips and opinions. Today, it’s silent. 

Wondering to himself if he’ll ever over hear anything that might give any insight to his latest obsession, Bucky gets up from the kitchen table to leave. As he does, Darcy’s Ipod falls from his jean’s pocket with a clatter. Jane lightly jumps but keeps her focus on her work in front of her. Darcy and Bucky’s eyes fall to the now exposed Ipod. 

Bucky reaches for Darcy’s Ipod and hands it to her lamely, keeping his eyes cast down. 

“Thanks, doll.”

“But I thought Steve had it.” Darcy’s confusion finding home in the wrinkle between her eye brows. 

“Yeah. He lent it to me, too. Thought you wouldn’t mind.” 

Ask her! Ask her! Ask herrr!! Screamed a voice in the back of Bucky’s mind, only quieting when Darcy looked up again, her face cracking into a smile. 

“You Little Shit. You think you’re so sneaky. I would have found out that you had it eventually.” 

“Y.L.S. You? Little? Shit?”

“How-“ 

Bucky starts to chuckle as the other instances Darcy has called him a little shit come flooding to the front of his mind. It was for him. And, oh how he was grateful for this reveal. The emotions the various songs brought forth from him while he listened to them should have told him all along. His amusement forms into a wicked smirk shot directly at Darcy, making her turn a few shades of pink, blinking hard.

“Would you like to go to dinner with me, tonight?”

“Um, yeah,” Darcy squeaked quietly, nodding her head with a huge smile on her now red face.

“Good, I’ll pick you up at 7,” he said as he started walking toward the door. “And maybe after you can show me some more of your favorite music.” He added with a turn of his head and a wink as he left, leaving Darcy standing in shock in the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> Y(ou) L(ittle) S(hit) Play List:
> 
> Heart break warfare – John Meyers  
> Killing Me Softly with His Song – Fugees  
> Crave You – Flight Facilities  
> Sweet Talk – Kito Reija Lee  
> Hey Na Na – Katie Herzig  
> Talk Like Lovers Do - The Eurythmics  
> Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel  
> Its Been A Long, Long Time – Harry James & His Orchestra, Vocals by Kitty Kallen.  
> Big Jet Plane – Angus and Julia Stone  
> Pompeii – Bastille, Acousitc Live in Paris  
> Ribs – Lorde  
> R U Mine – Arctic Monkeys  
> You belong to me – Jo Stafford  
> Sweater Weather – The Neighborhood  
> Toxic – Cover by Melanie Martinez  
> Crazy – Cover by Melanie Martinez  
> Bulletproof – Cover by Melanie Martinez  
> Too Close – Cover by Melanie Martinez  
> There’ll Be Bluebirds over The White Cliffs of Dover – Vera Lynn  
> You go to my head – Keely Smith  
> Manhattan Serenade – Jo Stafford  
> A String of Pearls – BBC Big Band Orchestra  
> Crying Mood - Ella Fitzgerald  
> Cheek to Cheek - Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald  
> Heat Wave - Ella Fitzgerald  
> Georgia on my Mind – Jo Stafford  
> Trouble in Mine – Jo Stafford  
> Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N Roses  
> Come to Me – Goo Goo Dolls  
> Witchcraft – Frank Sinatra  
> Slide – Goo Goo Dolls


End file.
